DNR: At Least 6 Wolves Killed So Far In Mich. Hunt

LANSING (WWJ/AP) – At least six wolves have been killed during Michigan’s wolf hunt in the Upper Peninsula.

The state Department of Natural Resources updated the results Monday morning. The wolf season started Friday and runs through December, unless 43 are killed before the end of the year.

It’s the first hunt in Michigan since the wolf was placed on the endangered species list nearly 40 years ago. A total of 1,200 people are licensed to participate with firearm, crossbow or bow and arrow.

Opponents say wolves are still recovering and it’s too soon for a hunt. Wolf advocates who accepted the idea of farmers protecting livestock, which is already allowed, but fear game hunting will slash wolf numbers drastically.

Michigan is the sixth state to authorize hunting wolves since federal protections were lifted over the past two years in the western Great Lakes and the Northern Rockies.

Prior to the hunt, the DNR estimated the Michigan’s wolf population at 658.